Electronic mixers are typically used in the entertainment industry, in which a disc jockey or “DJ” mixes outputs of two electronic channels into a single musical rhythm for entertainment purposes. Typically, a 2-channel mixer or “DJ mixer” includes various switches, buttons, and/or knobs for adjusting sound quality in each of the channels. Adjustment may include equalization to adjust or alter sound quality to emphasize or de-emphasize aspects of the audio signal, such as boosting high frequencies in some cases, and/or reducing low frequencies. In addition, each channel may include a turntable having its own stylus, otherwise referred to as a needle, which is used to ride within grooves of an LP record to play the recordings on the LP record.
A DJ mixer typically includes two turntables, each turntable having its own stylus, which can provide audio input to each of the respective channels of the 2-channel mixer. However, as is known, LPs or albums are designed to spin at a fixed rate of speed to accurately reproduce the audio recordings. For instance, traditionally 78 revolutions per minute (RPM), 33⅓ RPM, and 45 RPM were commonly used rotational speeds for LP or record players.
In recent years, DJs have taken to generating audio signals using LPs placed on turntables as a hip-hop or rap genre using a DJ mixer. In such a genre, instead of activating each of the turntables to rotate at a speed corresponding with the originally recorded music, each turntable may be manually rotated in rapid forward and backward rotational directions to generate short, rhythmic bursts of audio sound. In hip-hop parlance this may typically be referred to as turntablism, scratching, or beatboxing.
For instance, turntablism may be referred to as the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, typically by using two or more turntables and a cross-fader-equipped DJ mixer. The DJ mixer is plugged into a Public Address (PA) or other sound amplification system for live events or for broadcasting. Turntablists manipulate records on one or both turntables by moving the record with their hand to cue the stylus to desired points on a record, and by touching or moving the platter or record to stop, slow down, speed up or, spin the record backwards, or moving the turntable platter back and forth, as mentioned.
Typically, a DJ mixer uses a cross-fader control, and the mixer's gain and equalization adjusts the sound qualify and level of each turntable. A cross-fader on a DJ mixer essentially functions like two faders connected side-by-side, but in opposite directions. A cross-fader is typically mounted horizontally, so that the DJ can slide the fader from the extreme left (this provides 100% of a first sound source) to the extreme right (this provides 100% of a second sound source), move the fader to the middle (for a 50/50 mix of sources A and B, as an example), or adjust the fader to any point in between.
Thus, the cross-fader allows a DJ to fade one source out while fading another source in at the same time. This is useful when beatmatching two sources of audio (or more, where channels can be mapped to one of the two sides of the cross-fader individually) such as phonograph records (LPs), compact discs or digital sources. The technique of cross-fading is also used in audio engineering as a mixing technique, in which a mix engineer will often record two or more takes of a vocal or instrumental part and create a final version which is a composite of the best passages of these takes by cross-fading between each track.
However, during live performances or live broadcasts, the DJ typically uses both hands to rapidly move between each turntable and to the various switches, buttons, and knobs to adjust sound quality. Simultaneously, though, the DJ may wish to slide the fader from side to side to fade in and out each of the channels to fine-control sound quality between the two channels. The DJ's hands, however, are typically occupied and not readily available to slide the cross-fader while the several other activities are going on. Thus, DJs have been known to employ other techniques to slide the cross-fader, such as contorting their body to move the cross-fader so that their hands can remain free to perform other functions, as discussed. The cross-fader switch, however, is typically located on a top surface of the mixer, and is thus not conveniently located for adjustment with their body.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method and apparatus for adjusting a cross-fader switch on a DJ mixer.